Hohhot Second Prison was founded in 1979 and is one of the largest labor reform sites in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. On October 17, 2009, there was a prison escape that shocked the whole country. On the afternoon of the incident, four felons kidnapped and killed a prison guard with a murder weapon and fled. Units at all levels attached great importance to this.
Later, the prison introduced the Landwell electronic key control system and the most advanced electronic security and access control system to improve the safety and security of detainees and early warning staff. The first phase of the project introduced a total of 24 sets of i-keybox key management cabinet systems, which were installed in the police offices, prison dormitories, prison infirmaries, and equipment rooms. Mr. Sun, who was the director of the prison information security team at the time, said that the Landwell automated key control system, was a perfect match for this prison’s objective of more effectively and safely operating the facility through the use of high end security technology.
“Tracking keys from one shift to another is an essential procedure for maintaining a secure environment and the Landwell i-keybox system provides that capability for us in an automated, easy to use way,” said Mr. Sun. The Landwell system in place at this prison enables the sought after accountability through its innovative engineering. In order for a policeman or other authorized user to access a key, they must enter their pre-programmed PIN code and/or fingerprint features on the cabinet. If the criteria entered matches the information stored in the system database, the key cabinet will unlock and the approved key can be removed or returned. Each individual key is secured to a key receptor slot locking mechanism with built-in memory chip and this unique feature ensures that every time a key is taken from or returned to the i-keybox key cabinet, the activity is recorded.
Mr. Sun notes that the combination of electronically restricted access and the monitoring of key usage add another layer of security to the key control system. “The system is extremely secure and has helped to improve our security procedures,” he says.
The prison has installed 24 i-keybox key cabinets, which are managed by one software and can be monitored, updated and reported online. At any time, the relevant police can check who currently owns which keys and when they plan to return them; or who took out the keys, where and when. When the key is not returned as planned, an alert will be sent to the supervisor to take action more quickly. You can also generate activity reports for each key in the system, or you can summarize the recorded information into standardized databases and spreadsheets for further analysis.
“The Landwell key control system was a good decision and has proven to be a valuable technology solution,” adds Mr. Sun. “We don’t have problems with unauthorized access or missing keys and the paperwork takes care of itself. In fact, with less effort we have more usable information.”
Key Management
- Control access to server cabinet keys and access badges for better security
- Define unique access restrictions to specific key sets
- Require multi-level authorization in order to release critical keys
- Real time and centralized activity reporting, identifying when keys are taken and returned, and by whom
- Always know who has accessed every key, and when
- Automatic email notifications and alarms to instantly alert administrators on key events
